This research examines the comic-book superheroes Superman and Batman as representative of two different ideals appealing to two different demographic populations. The research will compare attributes of each figure with a view toward identifying discrete meanings of heroism that find resonance in those who valorize one superhero over the other.
To arrive at contrasts between Superman and Batman, it is first necessary to identify what they may have in common. The most obvious attribute that they share is a double existence. They are apart from the common horde of humanity, special in ways that the rest of humankind can only dream of, or more exactly in ways that illustrate the importance of mythic presence in the psyche if not in everyday experience (Campbell 12). To be sure, both Superman and Batman are fantasy figures, but their mythic-heroic character is the residue of their extension into ordinary imagination. They stand for something while extending themselves to fight crime and arch-villains. Superman is specifically, programmatically, and famously engaged in preserving truth, justice, and the American way. Each hero has a secret identity or alter ego (mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent for Superman, millionaire Bruce Wayne for Batman) that also puts him well within the scheme of ordinary human experience. Thus does mythic heroism become imaginatively attainable.
The details of the dualistic way of life, familiar aspects of popular culture, differ in a variety of ways, and it is in the details that different core adherents to one hero or the other can be inferred. Superman, designated the man of steel, first emerged in 1938 as a comic strip written and drawn by Jerry Siegel and Joseph Shuster and was portrayed in radio, television, and motion picture (Kunzle). The back story of Superman is essential to understanding his appeal. As an infant, Superman (né Kal-El) was transported from the doomed planet Krypton via space ship ...